The Window
by A Bullfrog's Worst Nightmare
Summary: It was the first sign of freedom, the first sign of hope. It was the first time she thought she was finally going to be happy.


**A/N: Written for round one of the Speed of Lighting challenge. The given prompt was the dialogue "Why do you love him/her and not me?"**

_The Window_

He walked past the cottage again that day, his arm around an incredibly beautiful woman. They smiled and laughed, giving everyone around them the impression that there wasn't anything in the world to worry about. They were the image of what a perfect relationship should look like.

The scene of the happy couple out enjoying the lovely day literally tore Merope's heart into two. She sat by the window, letting the cool breeze wash over her disfigured face, as she jealously watched the pretty young girl gracefully walk down the stone path and holding hands with the man.

Merope often wondered what life would be like if she were pretty, if she had money, or even if she had a family who didn't constantly hit her. She gently touched the newly formed bruise under her right eye, wincing slightly at the fresh pain. Why did she have to forget to sweep the porch this morning?

Cecilia probably never felt the pain and humiliation of someone's hand striking the side of your face. Or the burns from hot metal being pressed to your bare skin. Or going days without anything to eat. Cecilia practically glowed with health. Her long brown hair was thick and shiny and her skin was flawless.

She ran out in front of the man, towing him along by the hand. His name was Tom, and he was the only thing in this world Merope was convinced would make her happy. It made sense, he made the other girl so happy, why couldn't he make her happy?

"Why do you love her and not me?" Merope whispered to herself, even though she already knew the answer.

"What did you say?" A rough voice from behind her said.

Merope's frail, tiny body tensed up in fear and she slowly turned around and looked at her brother, Morfin, with those eyes of hers that stared in opposite directions. He was sneering his sister, waiting for her answer.

"I-I didn't say anything," she replied with her weak, defeated voice.

"Are you looking at that damn mudblood again?" He gestured to the window.

"No, I was just enjoying the fresh air," she lied poorly.

"Like hell you were!" Morfin scoffed. "Do you honestly think a man, muggle or not, is going to love you? You're quite possibly the ugliest creature on the planet."

Merope didn't answer and stared at the dusty ground in front of her, not wanting to look at her brother anymore. She knew it was true, she was the farthest thing from beautiful. She didn't even have a strong personality to make up for it.

"What do think father is going to say when he finds out his only daughter is in love with a filthy mudblood?"

Even months later, her brother's words echoed in her ears. They scared her so bad she stopped looking out the window so much. It wasn't until Mr. Ogden from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement visited the Gaunt cottage did Merope find out exactly what her father would say.

She was never happier in her life than that moment when she saw her brother and father arrested and taken away. It was the first time in her life she felt free. She could do want she wanted, she could say what she wanted, and she could sit at the window all day and wait for Tom as much as she wanted.

After a week of being alone in the cottage, Merope finally ventured outdoors by herself. She wore her cleanest dress, which was still a bland grey color, but clean, nonetheless. She even wore her only pair of shoes.

The sun was so much brighter than she thought and there were so many things to look at. Suddenly she heard the sound of horse's hooves against the stone walkway that led into the village. She stopped prancing around and turned to see a magnificent grey horse coming towards her.

The same grey horse that belonged to the Riddle family.

Tom Riddle rode his horse into the village many times but Merope had never been that close to him before. He was even more handsome than she originally thought.

"Hello," she said quietly, hoping that she didn't sound too timid.

Tom looked at her with a confused expression before responded with a simple hello. He continued down the path without ever looking back at her but Merope didn't care.

She was finally going to be happy.


End file.
